Torino Airport in Italy has cause for celebration having been named the Best Airport in the Under 5 million passengers category at Airports Council International (ACI) Europe’s airport awards. The ceremony took place during the association’s annual congress and assembly, which was live streamed from the Skyhall at Brussels Airport on Tuesday 17 November.
Torino was recognised for its swift response to the COVID-19 pandemic through the implementation of health and safety protocols in collaboration with local authorities to maintain operational continuity. In particular, the airport was praised for the rapid introduction of body temperature screening, testing of passengers coming from areas severely affected by COVID-19 and the use of innovative technologies to ensure a touchless and safe passenger experience.
Judges also highlighted the airport’s commitment to staff training and its insurance policy for employees affected by COVID-19, as well as its efforts to support the local community and help those in need.
Cork Airport (which has previously won the award) was highly commended in the under 5 million passenger category.
Prioritising passenger concerns
In the 5-10 million passenger category, Malta International Airport took the win. The airport has introduced a raft of measures to ensure the safety and wellbeing of passengers and staff. These include the extensive use of partition walls and auto alerts as well as a dedicated Airport Care Team to address passengers who are not socially distancing. Judges also highlighted Malta’s online engagement with passengers and the incorporation of passenger feedback, which has enabled health and safety measures to be prioritised around passenger concerns. The airport’s strong focus on staff wellbeing was noteworthy, including the work from home policy, regular, temperature checks at the workplace, free health insurance and an annual wellbeing allowance. Malta Airport was also the winner of the HR Excellence award.
Larnaka Airport in Cyprus was highly commended in this category.
Engaging communications
In the 10-25 million passenger category, Hamburg Airport in Germany took the win – with its dedicated podcasts credited with being a smart and engaging way to communicate with staff during remote working. The airport was also selected for its continued work towards aviation decarbonisation and its focus on passenger needs with the emphasis on promoting a contactless and safe passenger experience.
Lyon Saint-Exupéry Airport in France was highly commended in this category.
‘Biometrics on the move’ in Lisbon
Lisbon Airport in Portugal was named the 25-40 million passenger category winner with judges noting that the airport excelled in ensuring a contactless and safe passenger passenger experience, namely with the roll-out of the ‘Biometrics on the move’ project and the introduction of advanced UV disinfection technology.
Sabiha Gökçen International Airport in Turkey was highly commended in this category.
Leading the way for primary hubs
Meanwhile Rome Fiumicino Airport – which introduced a drive-in antigen test centre earlier this year and a ‘smart helmet’ to monitor passengers’ body temperature via thermal radiation – took the win for the ‘over 40 million passenger category’. Istanbul Airport was highly commended in this category and took the win for the Digital transformation award.
Eco-innovation, accessible airport and business partner recognition
Budapest Airport was given the Eco-innovation award and commended for its strong focus on enhancing e-mobility with partner companies and travelling public/ employees, leading to emissions reductions both landside and airside.
This year’s Accessible Airport award was given to Copenhagen Airport in Denmark. Judges were impressed with the efforts made by the airport’s high-quality facilities and services, including an interactive PRM-friendly wayfinder, e-gates and check-in desks for PRMs. Meanwhile Málaga-Costa del Sol Airport in Spain was highly commended for this category.
Finally the World Business Partner Recognition award was given to To70, which has provided significant input to ACI Europe’s ‘Off the Ground’ recovery plan.
